elizabeth waters lymon obituary

Neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite. He told his family that night he was on his way to a gig. He also represented several of the artists featured on the "Dirty Dancing" album. Span wrote that she was conscious of her stardom and arrived at court daily in a limousine. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emira's family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. Eagle claimed that Levy had committed fraud and copyright infringement by crediting himself as coauthor of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (a not uncommon practice in the history of early rock 'n' roll). The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. Though this success was short-lived, Lymon on a personal level was apparently quite the boy who couldnt say no. Editor Nancy Richardson. Her published account of the trial and the three women contesting to be named Frankies legal wife and heir was titled The Three Wives: The Legacy Of Love. Cheesborough. A headstone was not part of the package, however, and Frankie Lymon was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymonds Cemetery. By the time of the trial, publishing rights to the song might have been worth seven figures. Emira testified in Surrogate Court that her arrangement called for any money recovered through her suit to be shared 50-50 with Rubin, after expenses and legal fees, which had already reached a substantial subtotal. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. The opinion dismisses the claims of Taylor, who was unable to produce "credible proof" of her marriage to Lymon or her divorce from her previous husband, both of which she said occurred in Mexico. Get our L.A. Levy had been arrested earlier in 1986 as part of the F.B.I. * MPAA rating: R, for language and some sexuality. Wiki User. Lymon is always short of money, no childhood, and, in most descriptions, lacks calmness, but when a small star appears on the stage, he always steals the limelight. Zola Taylor Lymon. Their affair continued off and on for several years. Hell, the boy had so many needle marks on him, I thought he was a God-damned . Emiras Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum, Pomeroy said. By the time Waters connected with Lymon, he had become a junkie, and she ended up ruining herself trying to pay for his drugs. He (Frankie) sort of changed my life, she told the judge. A pop record seemed disposable then, before the rise of the nostalgia industry. Back in New Jersey, Ronnie Italiano and the UGHA had adhered to Emiras aforementioned wishes and held off on moving forward with their project to acquire and place a memorial tombstone on Frankie Lymons grave until her lawsuit was settled. One of his records with the Teenagers was called "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent," but for all the conviction in his sweet young voice, he probably was one. According to Spans story, Frankie moved into Zolas home and her bedroom. This trio first meets as a group in 1985 in the offices of Morris Levy (Paul Mazursky), the shrewd operator whose company released Lymons hits. Opened 1940 | Named after Elizabeth Waters. By the time I met Frankie, he was a record deal-needing, broke ass, scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix druggie! "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." Published by Legacy on Jul. Also a plus is the entertainment value of the films infectious classic rock soundtrack, which (besides the Teenagers hits sung by Lymon) includes songs like The Great Pretender, Try a Little Tenderness and Heat Wave., Hampering this on the negative side, besides the films awkwardness with its dark moments, is an inability to provide more than the most superficial look at anything. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emiras family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. ", But in 1984 (as the original copyright term of the song was expiring) Emira Eagle Lymon brought suit in U.S. District Court in New York against Levy, his attorney, his record label and his publishing company. Her singing group, the Platters, was sometimes referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish; Zola, in her low-cut gowns, was the dish. It was held on Saturday, September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New Jersey. Elizabeth Waters may be entitled to an estate worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon 1956 hit and its more modern iterations, according to Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lamberts ruling. Artist Rights Enforcement Corporation was heralded by the New York Times as the white knight of rock n roll for its efforts in recovering uncollected royalties for a host of artists including Wilbert Harrison, Richard Berry, the Coasters, and the Dell Vikings to name just a few. He was back in New York where, Elizabeth and several other witnesses swore, he said that his marriage to Zola had been only a publicity stunt. I know its been good for me.. Sound Veda Campell. Similarly, one of the unexamined factors in his turning to hard drugs was apparently the difficulties caused by his voice beginning to change. The female lawyer stated that the battle began shortly after Emira asked the Georgia court to declare her as the administrator of Lemmons Estate. DAPHNE, AL 36526. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Her obituary was posted on February 9, 2023. Levy was aware of all the details of Frankie Lymons love life, and he used it to his advantage by bringing in Elizabeth Waters and Zola Taylor to challenge Emiras claim to be Frankies widow and, by having the court determine her marraige to be invalid, derail her lawsuit. "The only thing {Morris Levy} had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago says. Frankie Lymon/Wife. And that led to his 1955 smash hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," singing for Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium and performing in nightclubs and theaters worldwide. If none of the women was found to be Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stood to inherit. Big Seven agreed to pay Elizabeth an additional $5,000 if the federal lawsuit is dismissed because the plaintiff (Emira) is not the legal widow. Published by Mobile Register and Baldwin County from Jan. 25 to Jan. 27, 2023. Lymon was 14 years old when he began dating Zola Taylor (Berry), the lead singer of the Platters in the mid-1950s. 22, 2021. No one could have foreseen that the people who grew up with the music would refuse to relinquish it, and the songs would be repeatedly recycled into movie soundtracks and albums, cover versions, oldies compilations, and television commercials. As a been-around woman never at a loss for an insulting put-down (He dropped you like a whores panties is one example), Fox gives Fools most engaging performance. "A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.". Paula Span reported that, during the trial, the judge even raised the disquieting possibility that none of his three supposed marriages was legally contracted, that Lymon had no widow. By the time Frankie showed up, unannounced, in Los Angeles, Zola had done well for herself. Instead, he has posthumously provoked a trial that will determine which of the three women he is said to have married -- without ever scrupling to divorce any of them -- is really his widow and heir. Rubin's 200 or so clients, from the Del Vikings to the Coasters, constitute an honor roll of early rock 'n' roll. In January 1964, he began a relationship with Elizabeth Mickey Waters, from whom he gave birth to his only daughter Francine, who died two days later. The film travels back and forth in time to explore their relationship with the singer. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. Ash Taylor, Elizabeth Waters, and Amira Eagle reached out to Morris Levy, a music entrepreneur who retained Lymons copyrights and copyrights, claiming to be Lymons legal widow; Lymon didnt bother to divorce any of them. Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. Ms. ("I thought royalties was a dessert," says Elizabeth.). The two surviving members of the Teenagers claim that they wrote the song with Lymon when they were all Harlem street-corner harmonizers hoping for a break. His in the end was a wasted life ruined by drugs. Times guidelines: a bloody beating and some genteel scenes of lovemaking. Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers (Sherman Garnes, the inventive bass, and Joe Negroni were the others), say they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" And Emira, if she wins, will continue her federal case against Levy, a matter growing steadily more complex. Elizabeths lawyers, on the other hand, maintained her marriage was valid, which meant that neither Zolas nor Emiras could have been. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. Lymon was 14 years old when he began to date Zola Taylor (Berry), lead singer of the chart-topping group the Platters in the mid-1950s. became part of the "American Graffiti" sound track and album, was a No. "Knowing the facts like I know them, I feel confident there will be an appeal," McCracken predicted. Zola and Elizabeth declined, but said they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. Key parts of this chronology are in dispute, of course. Frankie, bouncing at the mike, was "this adorable little boy, with this little smile, the little suit; you wanted to take him home All I remember was the girls screaming about how cute he was.". Frankie was that kind of person, Your Honor, Elizabeth said. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. The marriage to Eagle is valid, so she is entitled to a fief. The resulting trial was fascinating look into Frankie Lymons post-stardom personal life, and it was covered in great detail by Washington Post reporter Paula Span. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. What seemed pretty clear from all the filings is the reason why, 20 years afterward, it had become so important to be Frankie Lymon's legal widow. Friday, November 06 2020. She also turned to prostitution to support her daughter from her first marriage, to one Charles Phillips, when she was just 16. "Even though she had said no, she had said yes in the beginning; so Ronnie went ahead without going back and contacting Emira again. But Anne Pomeroy of the Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. (which has played a major role in the Lymon case, and about which more later) spoke with Emira at length. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. As the lead vocalist for the Teenagers, Lymon (played by Larenz Tate) helped turn Why Do Fools Fall in Love into one of the biggest hits of 1956. The pair claimed they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" with Frankie Lymon and asked for a declaration of rights to the copyright of the hit song. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me; Frankie could fool God. Morris Levy had not become a force in the music business through fear alone; he was also very clever. Was which of the F.B.I in time to explore their relationship with singer. December 1989, the surviving members of his family stood to inherit clever. Not become a force in the music business through fear alone ; he was also very clever held on,... After Emira asked the Georgia court to declare her as the administrator Lemmons! The New York Supreme court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife members his. ; Frankie could fool me, Frankie could fool me, Frankie moved Zolas... 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